Turner’s lenient punishment is the perfect example of what happens when rape culture and white privilege collide. It didn’t matter that there was mounting evidence against Turner, it didn’t matter that his victim was unconscious and alone, it didn’t even matter that Turner was convicted ― the young “promising,” “successful athlete” served only three months for assaulting a young woman whose blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit and who was reportedly unconscious for three hours on the night of the assault.

The horrific assault captured the attention of the entire country in June whenBuzzFeed published the 23-year-old victim’s impact statement. The survivor read the gut-wrenching letter in court and addressed her attacker face to face.

The letter is a powerful commentary on sexual assault, victim-blaming and the insidious nature of rape culture.

In response to Persky’s light sentence, California lawmakers recently passed legislation that would make jail time mandatory in cases like Turner’s. Under the provisions of this new legislation, Turner would have faced a minimum of three years in jail.

exists to spread freedom of information, conservative values, and truth to the public through various media forms. We are an organization committed to upholding the First Amendment right of the Freedom of Speech and make every effort to lend to our readers—and Americans everywhere—strength, compassion, and honor. We welcome input and engagement from you, our online community, in mutual respect and courage to face our America, together.